A MAN who discovered a 48-year-old bar of Kendal Mint Cake in his loft believes it may be the oldest-surviving bar of the famous confectionery.

Peter Truelove, 68, of Windermere, bought the bar of Robert Wiper’s Original Mint Cake when he and a friend visited Kendal as 21-year-olds in 1964.

The pair were on a ‘boy’s adventure’ which took them from their homes in Kent to John O’Groats, the most northerly point on the Scottish mainland.

“We travelled the distance in an Austin 7 and it took us a week,” said Mr Truelove, of Hill Top. “The car only did 35mph at best and it was blizzard weather – the snow was coming into the car.

“We called at Kendal on the way back and we’d heard about the mint cake, so when we saw some we thought we’d buy a bar.”

Mr Truelove said he was not sure why he had kept the bar in a box in his loft.

“It was on a shelf as a memento of the trip but it’s been in the loft since we moved to Windermere 16 years ago,” he said. The bar is still in reasonable condition although some of the sugar is seeping through the wrapping.

Although the original Wipers recipe is still used, the company was sold to Romneys in 1987.

Managing director John Barron said: “We have been making it all these years and I don’t think we have any that old – it’s impressive.

“It wouldn’t do him any harm to eat it now but I don’t expect it would taste very nice.”

Mr Truelove said what was also interesting to discover was the journal he wrote while travelling, which documented the stop-off in Kendal. He said: “I had to record everything we spent because my friend and I were splitting the cost of the trip. It’s funny now to look back and see that someone offered to sell us a car engine and gear box for £2.50, and that 15 litres of petrol was 60p.

“Unfortunately, the price of the mint cake wasn’t included, although I did write that we’d visited and purchased it.”

BBC Radio 1 DJ’s Chris Moyles and Greg James are packing their bags early and taking their shows to Carlisle a week before Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

The pair will broadcast their shows live from Cumbria from Monday (May 9) to Friday (May 13) when they arrive a week ahead of the main event. In addition to their daily shows, Chris, Greg and their teams will be getting out and about in the city and surrounding areas, meeting the residents and celebrating all that Carlisle has to offer.

The pair will immerse themselves in the local community for a whole week, and they also plan to meet the city’s students in a Q&A session during the week.

Chris Moyles says: “The Big Weekend is always the highlight of my year and I'm so excited that we get to go up to Carlisle for a whole week beforehand and settle in before everyone else arrives. I'm hoping the good people of Carlisle are going to show us a good time!''

Greg James adds: “I’m really looking forward to this year’s Big Weekend and to bring my show live from Carlisle. Chris and I will be out and about meeting the locals during the week and I'm hoping we can experience the best of the city!"

BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend is the UK's biggest free ticketed festival and 40,000 lucky music fans will be able to enjoy performances across four stages at Carlisle Airfield where the event is taking place – the Main Stage; the In New Music We Trust Stage; the Outdoor Stage and the BBC Introducing Stage. This year’s artists include, Lady Gaga, Foo Fighters, The Black Eyed Peas, Tinie Tempah and Ellie Goulding.

A truly multiplatform experience, Radio 1's Big Weekend will be broadcast on Radio 1, with a major interactive presence online and many live performances available to watch on demand. There will be highlights on BBC Three and extended performances can be seen via BBC Red Button on digital TV during the weekend.